Lollipop Bubble Crush Saga

The Internet is an amazing tool that allows us to not only gather information but to connect with friends all over the world.

One of the primary ways we do that is through a page called Facebook. The user puts in pictures and information about his or herself and suddenly their entire lives are out there for the rest of the world to see whether we want to or not.

From following friends you can find out about Aunt Lizzie's latest bout with the gout, be reminded of birthdays of people you don’t really care about, and sometimes important daily news like botched plastic surgery on some Hollywood star.

All in all, however, it’s fun to chat with friends from across the nation and a good way to keep in touch with their going-ons.

There are also games a person can download and play on there and many people do that and also invite their friends to play also. Recently I have been getting invites to play some of these games and I understand the desire they have for me to have fun.

Now Ol' Dutch is about as flexible and understanding as he can be for a rough old mountain man but something just seems wrong when a grown man asks me to play games with names like Lollipop Bubble Crush Saga.

I have to admit I have never even looked at the game and it may be a man’s type of battlefield game but something tells me by the pinkish hues in the game invite that we are looking at something of a different kind of intellectual stimulation altogether.

Some of these friends when questioned will swear on a stack of Bibles that it’s their wife or kids or grandkids playing on their computer but I have my own doubts as to the veracity of that story.

There may be a little bit of a return to childhood going on at their age or some of their hidden and long-buried femininity coming out and that’s a scary thought to Ol' Dutch as he ages himself.

My readers know about how soft Ol' Dutch can become around the grandkids and it’s a tad embarrassing when after a day of baby-sitting I go to the Wal-Mart and reply to the clerk “Dadda, googoo, cute lil baby.” So I do know the problems that come with advanced age but I at least try and hide those when in public or online.

One reason this is so prevalent is that these crotchety old men and their loving wives share the same Facebook account. Why anyone would do that is beyond me as it’s free to use and prevents any misunderstandings about your gender identification amongst cranky, rough and tough friends. This can cause major problems next fall during elk season especially if they pack along a Candyland board game to play in camp with the other guys.

So if you find yourself irresistibly drawn to some of those online games that would make the rest of us question your manhood, at least use your wife's Facebook account so I don’t have to see your slip into softness.

But also know that Ol' Dutch has gotten a new appreciation for that slow demise and until next week I leave you with my best spoken words of the week. “Gagga, doo doo, baby.”